Outlet-box



, WLA. TITUSI.

ouLT Box.'

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 22. I9I7.

Patented Maf. 9, 1920.

w w w m4n I 'jizz/@7 1 of Mmm 12 as .To all whom 'it Amay concern;

outlet box which may be readily UN-rrsn srnrss priseur essieu;

vTIlIl'iL'A'IlLlM.' A. TITUS, OF CHCAGO, ILLNIS., ASSGNOR TO WESTERN ELECTRIC courent?, YORK.

intr

oi Patent..

remotes. Mar. .e3-'192e Application tiled January 29;, 1917. Serial No. lj.

Be it known that I, "WILLIAM A. Tiros, a citizen of the United` States, residing-at Chicago, in trie county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Outlet-Boxes, of' Which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

This invention relates to Wiring fixtures,

vand more particularly to outlet boxes for use in connection with the wiring of power circuits. v

The object of this invention is to provide an outlet box of convenient construction which maybe readily applied to power leadsv 'neet-ed from the power leeds without de struction. ci tlie parts.

In accordance with the general this invention there is provided o the power conductors by removable clamp ing means-end' "which is provided with means to receive screw sockets or other convenient mea-ns or making temporary connections.

Preferably the device et this invention comprises tivo laterallyv7 separable members adapted to be clamped together by any sint" able means and proyidedtvith wells and pro jee-ting portions-Which are adapted when the members are clamped together to torni holdmeans for securing the outlet box to the conductors and for retaining the socket con neetere trom longitudinal, lateral, and roterv movement.

"'lfhese features may be attained by proriding chamber portions in the tivo members of the outlet box,` one of which, when the members are clamped together, is adapted to engage and be clamped with the power conductors, the other of which forms a receptacle for the connecting sockets adapted to hold seid sockets against .rotation and against longitudinal movement.

further eature of this invention,-

means arevprovided on the two members of the out-letl bei; for receiving suspending invention consists or" the improved meansv hereinafter disclosed and pointed out-in the appended claims.

The inyention is illustrated in the accom pzniying figures in which:

llFigure l shows tujo outlet boxes connected in o circuitand the preferred. .method of suspension; Y

Fig. Q is ayt'ront elevation 'of the interior of one-half of the outletl box with the wire,

conduit, and sockets in place;

Fig. 3 is a section on the plane SW3 of l* ot a complete outlet bos, the socket and connections being left in elevation, und

Fig. lsbows a forni of outlet boni used when itis desired to install but one socket.

llie improved form of outlet box herein cribed can be readily designed to accomA ino-d te a single socket, as illustrated. in Fig. ormaj: be designed to accommodate a plu-V rslitjrot sockets, the design when tivo socle ets aredesired being illustrated in Figs, 1 :ind The outlet box consists of two similar. metallic parte constituting a right and left unit which may be either cast, stamped, or formed and which when bro'iilghttogether and properly 'alined constitute a metallic housing tted with suitable openings :tor holding* and clamping into position the Wire carrying conduit 8 and the sockets 9 and 10.'

inwardly and between which ends extend the bottoni Wall 13 of the housing and the transverse rib 17.4. The rib 14 acts as a strengtheningr member for the housing and also serves as a Ineens for preventing rotary movement ol' the socket when said socket has been clamped between the two parts which constitute the complete housing or outlet box. For this purpose the rib 11i is cut out to form rectangular depressions at l5 and 16, seid depressions having a depth so that they will receive substantially one-half of the thickness of the upwardly projecting lug 17 of the sockets 9 and 10. Consequently when the right and left members ot the housing are brought together,.the lugs 17 of the sockets are snugly itted in'the rectangular opend inffs formed inthe rib 14.

lhe lower wall 13 of each half of the housing is fitted with .a semi-circular opening wherever it is desired to place a socket such as at 20 and 21. This semi-circular opening has a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the groove 22 with which most commercial sockets are iitted and which ordinarily serves as a retaining means for the lamp guard. Consequently when the right and left members of an outlet box are placed in alinement, the semi-circular openings in the two parts will form a circular opening, the diameter of which is substantially equal to the diameter of the groove 22 in each socket, and asthe bottom wall 13 of the outlet box has a thickness substantially equal tothe width of said groove, said circular openings will prevent lateral and longitudinal movement of the socket when it is clamped between the right and left membersof the housing.v The side wall 24 of the housing` are the ears 31 and 32 on the upper side of the passageLand on the lower side the ears 31 and 32. The upper ears 31 and-32 are provided with holes 35 and 36, said holes being utilized to suspend the housing and circuit. The lower ears 31 and 32 are provided with holes 33 and 34, which holes are used for the reception of clamping screws which tasten the two halves of the housing together. The ears are fitted with semi-circular grooves of a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the conductor carrying conduit, the upper quadrant of said grooves being curved similar to that portion of the wall 24 which lies between the same horizontal planes which bound said quadrant. Consequently when the right and left members of an outlet box are brought into alinement, the ears 31 and 32 form av circular opening into which the conduit will snugly tit and the extreme upper portion of the side wall 24 will also snugly fit the curvature of said conduit.

Extending between the lower wall 13 and the rib 14 in substantiallv the middle of the chamber 11 in each halt-ot the housing is the rib 37 which is equipped with a boss 38 which is drilled in the lett half of the housing and tapped ,in the right half the reception of the clamping screw. 40, 1n an outlet box designed for 'the reception of a plurality of sockets a clamping .screw such as 40 is placed between each pair of sockets;

but for outlet boxes which are to receive but a single socket, such as illustrated in Fig. 4, l

,ing from the socket to the current carrying conductors. The connection is then tapped in the usual way to prevent Contact between the conductors and the wall of the outlet box. nected, the ends of the conduit 45 and 46, as shown in Fig. 2, are placed into the semicircular grooves in the ears 31 and 32 and the socket fitted in place between the bottom wall 13 and the rib 14 in one of the halves of the outlet box. The other half of the outlet box is then placed inA position and in alinement with said first half and the clamping screws 40, 41, and 42 are placed in position and drawn up tightly. This will securely clamp the conduit and the sockets in place, and the outlet box can then be suspended by any suitable means, preferably by hooks such as 47, as shown in Fig. 1.

1t will be quite obvious that when a circuit has thus been installed in a series of these outlet boxes'. it is a very simple operation to either suspend or take down said circuit. Likewise it will be evident that the weight of the circuit is sustained by the conduit and the outlet box in combination with the clamping screws which join the outlet box to said conduit. The circuit when thus installed is inclosed in a complete metallic housing which conforms absolutely to the requirements of the underwriters. "When it -is desired to disma-ntlesuch a circuit the only operation necessary is the unhooking of the outlet boxes, and the complete circuit may then be rolled up and transported to the next place where it can be frequently used with a very few alterations, the distance Iallowed between sockets being substantially When the socket has been thus con- AThat is claimed .iszf

' wardly ifrom the inside walls of said sections vto engage a portion ofsaid'socket to hold said parts f 1. An outlet box 'consisting of two sections adapted to be secured together, means carried by said sections adapted-when said sections are secured together to secure said out-f let .box to power wires, a socket,'and means formed integrall withand projecting in.-

it against rotation. f

2; 4An outlet box comprising two sections adapted to 'be secured together, said 'sections -.orming when secured togethera power wire' chamber and a socket chamber, means carried by said power wire chamber for secur- 4 power wires, and" means formed integrally with and roject-v ingsaid outlet .box to ing from the outside wall lof sai power ,wire 4chamber for suspending saidpower wires and said outlet box.4

3. An outlet'box Vconsisting of two 'simi-A 4 lar'parts which unite to form a socket receiv` ing chamber and, a power Wi-rechamber, projection's integral with the inside walls of and -provided with openings therein to receive the end of the socket. to secure said socket against Vrotary movement, land means'formed by the Auniting of said sections with a channeleds'ection of said socket'to secure said socket against longitudinal vand lateral movement. -l

4. An outlet box consisting of two sections adapted to be clamped together, said wire. chamber and a socket chamber, said first chamber being adapted to receive socket Wires which are connected to power wires carried therein, said rst chamber also havingl a longitudinal passa-geon both sides .of the upper part thereof formed by the clamping .of .'sai'd sections together, said second chamber having in the lower part ther-coi a socket from lateral and 'longitudinal movement, projections on the inner walls of said sections provided with recesses which upon v4theclamping of said sections together form an opening through vwhich the end of said bers -adapted to receive respectively a socket and thecurrent carrying conductors two of the walls of said socket receiving chamber serving to' positively vposition-saidsocket, means integral with the wall ofsaid conductor receiving lchamber to positively position the conductor carrying conduit, and means v4integral with -said lastfmentioned means for,

suspending said box' and conduit.

' In witness whereof I hereunto WiLLiAM A. .TiTUs subscribe fmy namethis 1 0th day of.Jan., A. D., 191?.

i sections each forming-one half ofapoiiveify f vertical passage formedby the clamping of said sections together for the securing of a 

